The Loop - Domani Studios Design Blog

The Favicon Manifesto

Favicons which were first introduced during the launch of Internet Explorer 5 (1999), bridge two worlds, the new and the old. In the past decade they have not evolved, but somehow are deemed to be a necessary component of website design.

To determine if this dinosaur should be extinct or brought back to life through cryogenic freezing and rehabilitation, we must truly understand consumer perceptions.

This little image that appears to the left of a URL address on most web browsers is measured to be 16 pixels by 16 pixels. If you don’t speak nerd, this means it is very small. So small, that getting a significant amount of detail within it is very difficult. This being said, why would anyone care or even notice this tiny spec?

Well…oddly enough, consumers receive a sense of authenticity by seeing a Favicon. Favicons have become standard protocol among all websites and have been pushed to their limits. Graphic designers often take particular care in creating a unique Favicon that exemplifies a client’s brand image and is differentiated from industry competitors.

Favicons have become their own art and could be perceived as the pinnacle trend setter in pixilated design. Brands like DHL have also played with the idea of motion in these little buggers by creating a GIF that animates their logo. But where and how can this ever evolve?

Under the current circumstances, web browsers are inhibiting the Favicon evolution. But what if this value generating image could be better, faster, stronger…? I would like to propose web browsers of all kinds to incorporate a new way to read these images. Augmented reality, live video, Flash, and other languages could be integrated. Favicons could become more than meets the eye. They could magnify, alter the website, and perhaps give the user more relevant information.

Next time you are browsing the internet and see a square that has potential to be more than square, join me in declaring the revolution.